Mail-marking machine.



No. 690,942. Patented Jan. I4, I902.

- c. v. FYKE.

MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

{Application filed. June 8, 1901.)

(No Mode,l.)

. NiTlED hlirarns Parr r 1 tries.

CHARLES V. FYKE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

MAIL-MARKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 690,942, dated January14, 1902.

Application fil d June 8, 1901. Serial No. 63,738. (No model.)

To all 1072 0711, it may concern.-

Be itknown that LCHARLns V. FYKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson, State of Mis souri,have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Marking Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mail-marking machines, and has for its object toprovide certain improvements in that type of machine disclosed in anapplication for Letters Patent filed by John H. Barr and Charles V. FykeJanuary 29, 1901, Serial No. 45,253.

Specifically stated, my present improvement consists in certain novelmechanism for controlling the position of the impression member withrespect to the printing member, said mechanism being actuated by themovement of a letter through the machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of the majorportion of a mailmarking machine embodying my improved construction.Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the machine on theline 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view onthe line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of themechanism for controlling the position of the impression member. Fig. 5is a detail top plan view of the same, the main table being removed.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the severalviews. 7 In the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 denotes the maintable of the machine, having fixed thereon suitable partitions 2, 3, and4 for dividing the table into a letter-feeding space 5, aletter-receiving space 6, and an intermediate space 7 for the mechanism.Located on the upper side of said table 1 are two pulleys S and 9,connected-by a letter-feeding belt 10, the shaft 11 of pulley 9 beingpreferably power-driven and having mounted thereon gear-wheel12, meshingwith a similar gearwheel 13 on shaft 14, carrying the mail marking orprinting cylinder 15, as shown.

The partition 3 is provided with a vertical shoulder 16, affording astop for each letter, the releasing device and the mechanism foroperating the same not being herein shown, as they are the same as thosedisclosed in the application hereinbefore referred to and, moreover,form no part of the present invention.

Mounted on the upper side of the table 1, opposite the printing-cylinder15 and on the opposite side of the partition 3 therefrom, is animpression-cylinder 17, the shaft 18 of the same passing freely throughan aperture on the table 1 and being mounted in an arm 19, pivoted tothe under side of said table 1 at 20, a com pression-spring 21, having aregulating nut 22, serving to normally force said impression-cylinder 17in contact with the printing cylinder 15.

Mounted on the shaft 11 of the printingcylinder 15 is a wheel 23, havinga cam-surface 24 thereon, in the path of which lies a roller 25, mountedon an elbow-lever 26, having a vertical and a horizontal arm, the latterpivoted on a shaft 27, carried bya hanger 28, bolted to the under sideof the table 1, as shown. Also pivotally mounted on said shaft 27 is avertical arm 29, having ears 30, between which is pivoted a swingingabutment 31, projecting toward and almost in contact with the upper endof the vertical arm of bracket 26. Said arm 29 also carries at its upperend a projection 32, passing through a,

loop 33, formed on the impression-cylinder arm 19.

Mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft 34, supported in a suitablebearing 35 on the table 1, is a finger 36, normally lying in theletter-path, the lowerend of said shaft 34 having an arm 37, to which ispivoted a link 38, pivoted at its other end to the abutment 31,intermediate the length of the latter, a coiled spring 39 serving toretain said finger 36, abutment 31, and their intermediate partsnormallyin the position shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

From the above description the operation of my improved constructionwill be understood to be as follows: Constant rotation is imparted toshaft 11 from any suitable source of power and is transmitted therefromto shaft 14, carrying the printing-cylinder 15, by means of gear-wheels12 and 13. The wheel 23, carrying cam-surface 24, is thus alsoconstantly rotated ,the latterlifting roller 25 once during eachrotation of the former, which also raises elbow-lever 26 on its pivot,and thus moves the upper end of its vertical arm outward, the samecontacting with the free end of abutment 31 when the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and moving it a correspondingdistance.Thisendwisemovement of abutment 31 is imparted to the upper end ofpivoted arm 29, and through the engagement of the projection 31 thereonwith loop 33 on the impression-roller arm 19 the latter and itsimpression cylinder 17 are moved a corresponding distance away from theprinting position and against the tension of spring 21. It will beobserved, moreover, by referring to Fig. 2 that the cam-surface 24 lieson the same side of shaft 14. with the printing-surface onprinting-cylinder 15, so that this movement of the impression-cylinder17 away from said printing position occurs just as said printing-surfacereaches the printing position, theroller 25 passing off the cam-surface24 as said printing-surface leaves the printing position, theprinting-cylinder and the intermediate parts being returned to theirnormal position by spring 21. When, however, a letter is fed between thefeedbelt 10 and the partition 3, it contacts with and trips finger 3G,lying across its path of travel, thus turning said finger to theposition shown in Fig. 5. The shaft 34 is correspondingly rotated, thusturning arm 37, which through link 38 swings abutment 31 away from thepath of travel of the upper end of elbow-lever 26, as shown in Fig. 5.I/Vith the parts in this position the movement of this elbow-lever 26,due to the contact of roller 25 thereon with cam-surface 21, will notaffect vertical arm 29, and the impression-cylinder 17 will rotate incontact with the printing-surface on printing-cylinder, and thus impartthe desired impression to the letter passing therebetween, a yieldingtension being exerted on said impression-roller through spring 21 topermit it to yield to letters of extra thickness. The passage of theletter will permit the finger 36 and its controlled parts, includingabutment 31, to resume their normal position, (shown in Figs. 1 to 4,)due to the tension of spring 39, and if no further letters follow theimpression-cylinder 17 will be again carried away from the printing position, as hereinbefore described.

While the dead-weight of the elbow-lever 26 will probably be sufficientto keep the roller 25 constantly in contact with the wheel 23 orcam-surface 2%, I prefer to employ a coiled compression-spring 40,located between said elbow-lever 26 and the hanger 28 for positivelyaccomplishing this result, as will be readily understood.

Having thus described my invention, what Ielaim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mail-marking machine, the combination with means for feeding theletters to be marked, a rotating printing cylinder, and animpression-surface, said cylinder and su rface normally lying at theprinting position, of means for periodically moving one of saidprinting-couple from the printing position consisting of a cam on therotating parts of ceases the machine, a pivoted elbow-lever moved bysaid cam, a pivoted arm connected with the movable member of theprinting-couple, and an abutment intermediate said elbow-lever and armfor transmitting the cam-imparted motion from the former to the latterand from the latter to the movable member of the printing-couple,substantially as set forth.

2. In a mail-marking machine, the combination with means for feeding theletters to be marked, a rotating printing-cylinder, and animpression-surface normally lying at the printing position, of means forperiodically moving said impression-surface away from the printingposition consisting of a cam on the rotating parts of the machine, apivoted elbow-lever moved by said cam, a pivoted arm connected with theimpression-surface, and an abutment intermediate said elbowlever and armfor transmitting the cam-imparted motion from the former to the latterand from the latter to the impression-surface, substantially as setforth.

3. In a mail-marking machine, the combination with means for feeding theletters to be marked, a rotating printing-cylinder, animpression-surface, said cylinder and surface normally lying at theprinting position, and means for periodically moving one of saidprinting-couple from the printing position consisting of a cam on therotating parts of the machine, a pivoted elbow-lever moved by said cam,a pivoted arm connected with the movable member of the printing-couple,and a movable abutment intermediate said elbow-leverand arm fortransmitting the camimparted motion from the former to the latter andfrom the latter to the movable member of the printing-couple, of afinger in the letter-path, and connections intermediate said finger andabutment and operated by said finger to shift said abutment from itsposition between the elbow-lever and arm, substantially as set forth.

4. In a mail-marking machine, the combi nation with means for feedingthe letters to be marked, a rotating printing-cylinder, animpressionsurface normally lying at the printing position, and means forperiodically moving said impression-surface away from the printingposition consisting of a cam on the rotating parts of the machine, apivoted elbow-lever moved by said cam, a pivoted arm connected with theimpression-surface, and a movable abutment intermediate said elbow-leverand arm for transmitting the cam-imparted motion from the former to thelatter and from the latter to the impressionsurface, of a finger in theletter-path, and connections intermediate said finger and abutment andoperated by said finger to shift said abutment from its position betweenthe elbow-lever and arm, substantially as set forth.

5. In a mail-marking machine, the combination of means for feeding theletters to be marked, a rotating printing-cylinder, animpression-cylinder normally lying at the printhaving a common pivotwith the vertical arm,

ing-point, a pivoted arm carrying said im-' pression-cylinder, avertical pivoted arm carrying a projection engaged with a loop on saidimpression-cylinder arm, an elbow-lever finger and operated by saidfinger to shift said abutment from its position between the elbow-leverand vertical arm, substantially 15 as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set a cam on the printing-cylindershaft controlmy hand in the presence of two subscribing ling themovement of said elbow-lever, aux witnesses, abutment pivoted to saidvertical arm and normally lying in the path of movement of I the freeend of said elbow-lever when actuated by said cam, a finger in theletter-path, and means intermediate said abutment and CHARLES V. FYKE.

Witnesses:

NELLA P. OoWEN, E. L. SNIDER.

